Resurrection Meditations (Part 2 of 8)

Resurrection Letters

Meditations on the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ

by Andrew Peterson

II. THE SHEPHERD KING

You steer the donkey through the gates of Jerusalem. Centuries before, in this same city, King David wrote his songs and sang your praises. You think of the timbre of his voice, the earnest heart, the long nights on the roof of the palace when the great king remembered how to be a shepherd boy again, alone in the dark pasture but for the sheep in his keeping and the quiet stars.

In your mind you can see him:

King David, barefoot on the airy roof, sitting on the edge of a kingly chair, his harp like a woman in his arms, his mind bending heavenward as he prays with that boyish frankness you delighted in.

Would even David have known what you came to do? If David had been alive on the day of your coming, would he have known the kingdom you were bringing would be of a holy matter, stronger than stone and sharper than steel?

Even David would have been wrong. No man can fathom your ways. No mind could've alone foreseen the Kingdom as you would make it.

(thanks)

Teen Blogging

Are you encouraging teens to blog?
I find my blogging to be therapeutic and research is showing its benefits.
Don't just help them start one, but continue to interact with them through their blogs.

Resurrection Meditations (Part 1 of 8)

Resurrection Letters

Meditations on the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ

by Andrew Peterson

I. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

Lord, forgive us.

We welcome you in because we think you'll give us what we want. We act as if our true motives are hidden from you—you who made the world with a word. We spread our coats and wave our hands and cry “Save us!” and you ride with your back straight and your face drawn, accepting our hosannas because you know that even if the heart is false the words are true, and for now, that is enough.

You come in the name of the Lord. Son of David, you come to save us. You come to save a fickle people, who one minute cry for help and the next cry for blood, and it is both help and blood that you give us.

The sun shines hot on the city gate, and you feel the air move with the palm branches.  You hear the hearts pumping in their chests. Their mouths cry “save us” while their hearts cry “give us what we want.” But because you are God you hear even deeper in the spirits of men and women and even children the silence of our profound loneliness. You hear the trickle of need we scarcely know ourselves.

You come to us though you know we're praying to you for the wrong reasons, singing to you without the faintest notion of how powerful and just and holy you really are.  We don’t even realize the danger we’re in, crying for salvation from Caesar when the Devil himself is battering the door—crying like a baby for its bottle when a wolf is loose in the nursery.

And yet, you come.

You set your iron gaze on Jerusalem, and because the Father wants you to, you come.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

(thanks)

Song Stuck in My Head: You've Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger

Beth Rowley - You've Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finer
From the movie An Education.
Have you seen this film.  It was really good.  Both Carey Mulligan and Alfred Molina are really good.  The art direction is visual candy; the movie is set in a London suburb in the 1960s.  And the script was written by Nick Hornsby; that alone should spur you two watch.

Foolish Silence

What a crazy family.  There has to be more to the story than the reporter was willing to report.  I'm going out on a limb to say that this family is doing something they probably shouldn't doing.
It reminds me of the people who are worried about the governments ability to ease-drop on our phone calls, e-mails, blogs, or even our tweets.  These are the same people that are worried about Google keep logs of everything we ever search.  Sure I get right to privacy, but personally I'm attempting to live without anything to hide.  I figure if someone wants to listen in, well, "welcome to the show!"
Certainly I don't think I'd ever let my paranoia force me to live silent conversations for 11 years.  That's just ridiculous.

QVC, It's a Dirty Job

The Mental Floss Blog is a great blog full of nonsensical information.  Meaning it's perfect for me.
Recently they posted some very interesting videos of Mike Rowe, you know of Dirty Jobs fame, in a previous dirty job...QVC!  And while I could just send you to their website, I figured it would be easier for you to just put the videos here (because I'm just that kinda blogger).
If you're like me, you're probably asking yourself "why would I wanna watch youtube clips of  QVC".  Well the answer is because Rowe is actually really funny.
Enjoy.

A Year of Giving

I just started reading an incredible blog.  Have you heard about it?  

The blog is by an unemployed man from Washington D.C. who is giving away $10 a day.  He then writes about that person.  

Check it out.

What a classy concept for a blog.  Actually using for the betterment of someone else.  

I just talk about me.  Well at least I promote quality blogs.

Maybe I'll give out $10 today

Free Download: Vicky Beeching

Vicky Beeching is giving away a really good song, Deliverer, from her new album Eternity Invades.
Click HERE to get it.
The album comes out in 11 days.  From the sound of this song, I think it'll be worth picking up.

Pooh vs. Alien

Two classic characters I would never think to put together: Winnie the Pooh and the Alien.  But sure enough someone did.  That's a simple explanation of this website, but certainly the description is not enough.  Enjoy.

Song Stuck in My Head: In The Sun

She & Him - In The Sun

Isn't Zooey adorable?  And I really dig her and M. Ward's music.  I just picked up the new album, Volume Two, and like their first I find it completely enjoyable.  And I heard somewhere on NPR that they do have plans to continue on with Volume Three...yay! 

Buy Yarn

Are you in need of some yarn?  I know right, what a silly question?  Who doesn't?

My friend Talia spins her own.  Usually she uses it to make scarfs and hats and gloves and others stuff.  But lucky for you, who is in need of some yarn, you can now purchase some of Talia's yarn and make scarfs and hats and mittens and such.  Buy it HERE.

I should also probably take a sentence to congratulate Talia on her recent engagement.  I mean it's kinda cliche to travel to New Zealand and get engaged, but good for her.  She always wanted a beard in her life.

Well done, Talia.

Movie Preview of the Day:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

I'd watch this movie.  I love a good zombie flick.  And when a friend forced me to watch Pride and Prejudice I was praying for something like this throughout the whole movie.

Video: Predators

Because I loved the original, (and I even like the sequel, but the newer franchise has been a let down) I can't wait to see this:

Apparently it's supposed to feel like it directly follows the original film with Arnold.  I'm pretty stoked about this film.  I not sure about the Predator's 'dog', but come on it's got Lawrence Fishburne.
Follow the Youtube for additional clips on the film.

List: 9,331 Greatest Films

I've been trying to work through the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies (both the 1998 & 2007 lists) for some time.  I'm getting closer and closer.  As I type this I am watching Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in Out of Africa.
But, thanks to a recent Roger Ebert's Twitter update, I have come across an even more ambitious project.  Brad Bourland, 58, of Austin TX, after an extensive period of research and fortitude created a list of the top 9,331 films.
If it's all the same to you, I'll think I'll finish AFI's list first.
Publish Post

Blogger Updates

Google announced on Thursday that they have improved the way individuals can personalize their blogs.  Using the Blogger Template Designer, you can customized looks for your blog.  Check out this video:

Make sure you're using Blogger In Draft.

And read more about the new features HERE.

Video: After Today!

Do you remember...

How cool was this movie, right?

If you've seen it, maybe you too tried the 'perfect cast' at a school dance.

Well if you did, then you'll also enjoy this:

Photos: Hitchcock Re-Imagined

I really like the creativity used in these posters of four of Hitchcock's films. (via)

Click here for another set of Stephen King posters re-imagined.

Video: Generic Movie...

Generic Movie Based on the Movie They've Been Re-Releasing Every Single Week Since the 1980's.

This really made me laugh...well, not really laugh...more of a chuckle...and not even a hearty chuckle...just a good normal chuckle.

Enjoy.

Photos: Bookshelves

I'm looking for furniture for my apartment. And I really like bookcases. Would anyone like to build something creative for me, on the cheap? Here's some interesting ones (I didn't save the urls where I found these, sorry):

Microsoft Courier

This is a cool gadget in the line of the iPad.